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JOHN  Y.  AITCHISON 


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HOLT 


A FOREWORD 


This  address  is  published  by  request  to  meet 
what  is  believed  to  be  a distinct  need  at  the 
present  time.  Not  only  is  there  a deep  feeling 
that  the  emphasis  ought  to  be  placed  at  the  defi- 
nite point  where  we  have  sought  to  focus  it,  but 
there  is  a demand  for  a somewhat  brief  and  yet 
comprehensive  treatment  of  this  subject  for  gen- 
eral circulation  among  our  churches  at  a nom- 
inal price. 

The  Author. 


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LOVE’S  DEBT  TO  GOD 


At  the  close  of  the  service  several  had  come 
forward  to  meet  the  speakers  of  the  evening. 
The  writer  happened  to  be  one  of  the  latter,  for 
he  had  spoken  along  the  line  of  “Christian  Stew- 
ardship.” The  chairman  of  the  Board  of  Trustees 
of  one  of  the  leading  churches  of  the  state  said : 
“When  you  get  home,  I want  you  to  write  me 
and  tell  me  how  to  go  about  it  to  put  those  prin- 
ciples in  practice  in  this  church.  You  are  too 
busy  here  for  us  to  talk  about  it  to-night;  but 
remember,  I want  to  know  how  to  get  our 
church  to  adopt  this  plan  of  Christian  Giving, 
and  if  you  forget  it,  I will  write  you  about  it.”  I 
remembered  I had  corresponded  with  this  man 
and  the  manner  in  which  he  addressed  me  showed 
that  he  was  in  earnest  about  the  matter.  “One 
of  the  hopeful  signs  of  the  times,”  I have  said  to 
myself  again  and  again  since  that  night. 

But  I also  remember  there  were  those  present 
who  heard  the  address  who  were  decidedly  op- 
posed to  the  idea  advanced  that  the  law  of  tith- 
ing which  was  in  force  in  Old  Testament  times 
is  still  binding  upon  the  church.  There  are  not 
a few  who  have  become  very  comfortable  in  the 
idea  that  we  are  “not  under  law  but  under  grace.” 
They  say,  “The  tithing  system  has  been  displaced 
‘under  grace’  and  the  church  is  now  to  give  as 
she  feels  impelled  by  love.”  Let  us  submit  the 
question  at  once.  Is  there  any  one  who  will  be 
so  bold  as  to  assert  that  the  law  of  God  regard- 
ing the  tithe,  so  clearly  declared,  as  is  generally 
admitted,  in  the  Old  Testament,  has  been  dis- 
placed by  the  grace  of  the  Gospel,  and  that  in  its 
place  God  has  purposed  there  should  be  substi- 
tuted the  present  hap-hazard,  hit-or-miss,  give- 
when-you-feel-like-it,  lawless,  loveless  method  of 
supporting  the  cause  which  is  dearest  to  the  heart 
of  the  Son  of  God  ? Can  it  be  that  there  are  those 
who  are  willing  to  argue  seriously  to  the  effect 
that  in  place  of  the  wise  and  just  law  of  God  in 
force  in  the  former  dispensation,  by  obedience  to 
which  the  Lord  could  have  what  was  needed  for 
the  support  of  His  kingdom  among  men,  we  are 
privileged  to  substitute,  and  that  with  the  pur- 
pose and  desire  of  our  God,  the  present  system 
of  church  finances,  which  are  a source  of  dis- 
couragement and  trouble  to  the  pastor,  of  worry 
and  annoyance  to  the  board  of  trustees,  of  im- 
patience, embarrassment  and  often  aggravation 


to  the  members  of  the  church  and  congregation 
in  general?  If  there  are  such,  you  will  pardon 
me  for  saying  in  the  most  emphatic  manner 
that  I believe  the  church  of  Christ  has  so  far  de- 
parted from  the  will  of  God  with  reference  to 
our  financial  obligations  that  we  have  brought 
great  reproach  upon  the  cause  of  Christ.  We 
have  allowed  the  world  to  see  how  selfish  and 
self-centered  we  could  become,  turned  our 
churches  into  begging  institutions,  and  permitted 
our  missionary  work  to  be  shamefully  neglected 
BECAUSE  WE  HAVE  NOT  BEEN  DOING 
OUR  DUTY  IN  BRINGING  THE  TITHES 
INTO  THE  STORE  HOUSE.  And  we  have 
excused  ourselves  for  it  all  under  the  pretext 
that  we  are  not  under  “law”  but  “under  love  and 
grace.”  May  the  Lord  forgive  us  for  ever  hav- 
ing laid  claim  to  very  much  of  either  grace  or 
love  in  the  administration  of  our  money  for  the 
support  of  the  Gospel. 

It  ought,  in  all  fairness,  to  be  stated  at  this 
point  that  the  real  responsibility  for  this  shame- 
ful neglect  can  scarcely  be  laid  at  the  door  of  the 
members  of  our  churches.  The  pastors,  whose 
duty  it  is  “to  declare  the  whole  counsel  of  God,” 
are  more  at  fault : and  there  is  no  doubt  that 
much  of  the  responsibility  should  be  lifted  from 
their  shoulders  and  placed  upon  our  Theological 
Seminaries  whose  duty  it  is  to  train  men  for  a 
faithful  Gospel  ministry.  That  there  is  a decided 
indifference  in  our  Divinity  schools  is  evident, 
not  merely  from  the  untrained  ministers  who 
graduate  from  them  each  year,  but  from  the  fol- 
lowing facts  as  well:  In  1902  a prominent  lay- 
man sent  to  the  152  Evangelical  Theological 
Seminaries  in  the  Lmited  States  and  Canada  a 
letter  addressed  to  the  president  or  leading  offi- 
cial, offering  to  send  free  to  each  student  in  his 
institution  a package  of  such  literature  as  he 
published  on  “Honoring  God  with  our  Sub- 
stance.” Only  27  accepted  the  offer.  The  re- 
mainder were  either  unwilling  or  indifferent.  A 
second  letter  was  sent  to  the  institutions  that  did 
not  respond  to  the  first,  addressed  this  time  to  the 
“Professor  of  Practical  Theology'.”  Twenty-two 
responded,  with  no  reply  as  yet  from  103  schools. 
A third  letter  was  sent  to  the  103  institutions, 
addressed  “To  that  student  most  interested  in  the 
subject  of  ‘Honoring  God  with  our  Substance.’  ” 
Ten  replied,  leaving  93  out  of  105  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Theological  Seminaries  of  the  LTfited 
States  and  Canada  “either  indifferent,  or  unwill- 
ing to  permit  their  students  to  accept  and  read. 


without  expense,  the  same  literature  on  the  sub- 
ject of  Tithing  that  active  pastors  have  ordered 
in  quantities  aggregating  many  million  during 
the  last  27  years  for  circulation  among  their 
people.” 

Can  we  allow  such  indifference  to  continue? 
No  matter  who  has  been  responsible  for  the  con- 
ditions of  the  past,  it  is  our  duty  as  Theological 
Seminiaries,  as  pastors,  as  laymen,  to  face  this 
question  squarely  and  in  the  light  of  the  teach- 
ings of  the  Word  of  God.  Let  us  investigate  and 
see  what  we  who  are  “under  grace”  and  profess 
to  love  the  Lord  owe  to  him  whom  we  worship 
and  honor  as  Savior  and  King.  And  in  order  to 
the  better  understanding  of  the  question  we 
shall  begin  with  the  law  of  God  as  declared  in 
the  Old  Testament  and  trace  the  history  of  this 
question  of  Christian  Stewardship  down  to  our 
own  day. 

The  first  mention  of  the  tithe — giving  one-tenth 
of  our  income  to  sustain  the  Lord’s  cause — is 
when  Abraham,  500  years  before  Moses,  gave 
tithes  to  Melchisedec.  (Gen.  14:20  and  Heb. 
7:2.)  The  second  mention  of  the  tithe  is  where 
Jacob,  400  years  before  Moses,  after  having  that 
most  precious  vision  of  God,  vowed,  “And  of 
all  that  thou  shalt  give  me  I will  surely  give  the 
tenth  unto  thee.”  (Gen.  28:22).  Where  did 
Abraham  and  Jacob  get  the  idea  of  giving  the 
tenth  to  the  Lord?  If  the  law  of  God  had  not 
yet  been  declared  so  as  to  make  it  the  common 
duty  of  the  people,  no  one  can  deny  that  these 
two  men  had  come  so  near  to  their  Lord  that 
they  felt  it  their  duty  to  give  their  tithes  to  him. 
And  if  Abraham  could  pay  his  tithe  to  Melchi- 
sedec whether  compelled  by  law  or  impelled  by 
love  and  the  spirit  of  worship,  shall  we  do  less 
for  our  Christ  who  is  “made  an  high  priest  for- 
ever after  the  order  of  Melchisedec?” 

The  next  mention  of  the  tithe  is  found  in 
Lev.  27 :30-32.  “And  all  the  tithe  of  the  land, 
whether  of  the  seed  of  the  land  or  of  the  fruit 
of  the  tree,  is  the  Lord’s ; it  is  holy  unto  the 
Lord.  And  if  a man  will  at  all  redeem  aught 
of  his  tithes  he  shall  add  thereto  to  the  fifth  part 
thereof.  And  concerning  the  tithe  of  the  herd 
or  of  the  flock,  even  of  whatsoever  passeth  under 
the  rod,  the  tenth  shall  be  holy  unto  the  Lord.” 
Let  us  pause  right  here  to  make  sure  we  under- 
stand this  law.  Under  the  law  the  tithe  DID 
NOT  BELONG  TO  THE  INDIVIDUAL. 
He  had  no  right  to  it.  “All  the  tithe  of  the  land 
is  the  Lord’s;  IT  IS  HOLT  UNTO  THE 


LORD.”  The  same  was  true  of  seed,  fruit  and 
herd ; and  “whatsoever  passeth  under  the  rod, 
THE  TENTH  SHALL  BE  HOLY  UNTO 
THE  LORD.” 

That  this  law  prevailed  and  was  still  in  force 
as  late  as  400  years  before  Christ  is  evidenced 
by  the  accusations  made  by  the  prophet  Malachi 
when  he  accused  those  who  withheld  the  tithe 
from  the  Lord  of  “robbing  God.”  “Will  a man 
rob  God?  Yet  ye  have  robbed  me.  But  ye  say, 
wherein  have  we  robbed  thee?  In  tithes  and  in 
offerings.  Ye  are  cursed  with  a curse;  for  ye 
have  robbed  me,  even  this  whole  nation.”  (Mai. 
3:8-9). 

What  was  the  attitude  of  Christ  toward  the 
tithe?  Did  he  change  the  law?  Did  he  say  His 
Father  did  not  have  need  of  so  much  money, 
henceforth,  and  that  the  “tithe  system  was  part 
of  the  ceremonial  law  of  Moses  and  that  it  ex- 
pired with  the  M'osiac  dispensation?”  No.  But 
he  did  say,  “Render  unto  Caesar  the  things  which 
are  Caesar’s ; and  unto  God  the  things  which  are 
God’s.”  (Matt.  22:21).  And  he  was  looking 
at  a piece  of  money  when  he  said  it.  Many  have 
interpreted  this  passage  as  if  he  were  looking  at 
a soul.  Christ  did  tell  the  Pharisees  that  they 
ought  to  tithe.  It  was  concerning  the  tithe  that 
he  said  to  them  (Luke  11:42)  “These  things 
ought  ye  to  have  done.”  But  someone  says  that  he 
was  speaking  to  the  Pharisees,  not  to  us.  “Very 
well ; do  you  mean  to  take  the  position  that  what 
Christ  said  to  other  people  has  no  meaning  for 
you  ? Then  what  have  you  ? He  has  never  spoken 
one  word  directly  to  you.  All  the  marvels  of 
his  grace  and  love  have  come  to  us  through 
other  people.” 

The  question  is  frequently  asked,  “If  Christ 
intended  us  to  tithe,  why  did  he  not  say  so? 
Why  did  he  leave  the  matter  uncertain?”  There 
are  several  answers  that  should  be  made  to  this 
question,  for  it  is  a reasonable  one.  1.  We 
must  remember  that  Christ  was  living  in  a day 
when  the  law  of  tithing  was  well  understood 
and  practiced.  From  his  remark  to  the  Phar- 
isees it  is  evident  that  the  emphasis  needed  to  be 
placed  on  other  issues  at  that  time.  Conditions 
have  changed  since  then,  however,  and  we  need 
to  place  new  emphasis  on  the  law  that  was  well 
understood  and  rigidly  observed  then.  In  Christ’s 
day  the  people  were  obeying  the  tithing  law  so 
well  that  special  emphasis  was  not  needed.  2. 
The  free-will  offerings  of  the  early  disciples  and 
the  communistic  basis  which  was  voluntarily 


adopted  for  a time  by  the  early  church  furnish 
abundant  proof  that  an  elaborate  setting  forth 
of  a law  so  well  understood  was  not  necessary. 
3.  Under  these  circumstances  the  utterances  of 
Christ  and  the  apostles  are  sufficient  to  show 
us  the  principles  which  the  few  plain  statements 
that  are  made  were  founded  upon. 

That  the  tithe  system  was  not  a temporary  in- 
stitution to  be  discontinued  with  the  ceremonial 
laws  of  Moses  is  clear  from  the  following  facts : 

1.  It  was  observed  by  Abraham  and  Jacob 

hundreds  of  years  before  the  “ceremonial  laws 
of  Moses  were  instituted.”  We  find  the  follow- 
ing statement  in  Smith’s  Bible  Dictionary  under 
the  article  on  tithes : “Numerous  instances  of 

the  use  of  tithes  are  found  both  in  profane  and 
in  Biblical  history,  prior  to  or  independently  of 
the  appointment  of  the  Levitical  tithes  under  the 
Law. 

2.  Then  we  find  that  the  tithe  did  not  cease 
with  the  passing  away  of  the  ceremonial  law. 
This  is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  the  Pharisees 
were  tithers  in  Christ’s  day  and  that  he  de- 
clared “these  things  ought  ye  to  have  done.” 

3.  In  the  history  of  the  church  in  the  first 
centuries  we  have  abundant  evidence  that  the 
tithe  had  not  been  discontinued.  Clement  (30- 
100  A.  D.)  and  Justin  Martyr  (110-165  A.  D.) 
were  very  clear  in  their  teachings  concerning 
the  offerings  that  were  due  to  God.  Irenaeus 
(120-202  A.  D.)  speaks  of  “the  obligation  of 
Christians  to  render  tithes  unto  God.”  Neander 
declares : “The  duty  was  also  embodied  in  the 
Apostolic  canons,  a compilation  of  laws  in  force 
among  the  Christian  churches  about  the  close  of 
the  second  century.”  The  tithe  was  declared  as  a 
Christian  duty  by  Origen  (185-254),  by  Cyprian 
(200-258),  by  Jerome  (345-420),  by  Ambrose 
(340-397)  who  said,  “God  has  reserved  the 
tenth  part  to  Himself,  and  therefore  it  is  not 
lawful  for  a man  to  retain  what  God  has  re- 
served for  himself.”  Augustine  (354-430)  de- 
clared, “Our  ancestors  used  to  abound  in  wealth 
of  every  kind  for  this  very  reason  that  they  used 
to  give  tithes,  and  pay  the  tax  to  Caesar.”  And 
he  goes  on  to  say  that  because  they  have  “been 
unwilling  to  share  the  tithe  with  God  now 
the  whole  is  taken  away.”  He  urges  the 
giving  of  the  tenth  and  used  these  two  strong 
expressions : “The  Scribes  and  Pharisees  gave 
tithes,  for  whom  Christ  had  not  yet  shed  his 
blood.”  “But  yet  I cannot  keep  back  what  he 
who  died  for  us  said  whilst  he  was  alive,  ‘Ex>- 


cept  your  righteousness  shall  exceed  the  right- 
eousness of  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  ye  shall 
in  no  case  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven.’  ” 
*“The  tithe  was  enjoined  by  the  Council  of 
Tours  in  A.  D.,  567,  by  that  of  Macon  in  585, 
of  Rouen  in  650,  of  Nantes  in  660,  and  of  Metz 
in  756.  For  centuries  it  was  the  prevailing  cus- 
tom throughout  all  Christendom.  Bingham  in 
his  ‘Christian  Antiquities'  says:  ‘This  was  the 
unanimous  judgment  of  the  Fathers,  and  the 
voice  of  the  church  uncontradicted  for  more 
than  a thousand  years,  or  until  the  usages  of 
the  church  were  alienated  and  perverted  by  the 
papal  hierarchy  during  the  dark  ages.” 

4.  It  is  a well  recognized  principle  of  law 
that  when  once  a law  has  been  in  force,  and  the 
conditions  which  called  it  forth  still  exist,  the 
law  is  binding  until  it  is  repealed.  History 
shows  that  the  law  of  tithing,  while  merged 
into  the  ceremonial  law,  has  never  been  repealed 
and  the  need  for  its  enforcement  has  never  been 
greater  than  at  the  present  time.  So  we  must 
conclude  that  the  law  of  tithing  has  been  given 
to  us  by  God ; that  it  is  not  a temporary  pro- 
vision, and  THAT  IT  IS  JUST  AS  BINDING 
UPON  THE  CHURCH  OF  CHRIST  TO- 
DAY AS  IT  HAS  EVER  BEEN. 

Let  us  face  the  issue  squarely.  We  owe  the 
Lord  something.  Shall  we  pay  it?  But  some 
one  says,  “I  have  debts  to  pay  and  must  meet 
them  first.”  Yes,  your  creditors  have  a prior 
claim  to  strangers  on  your  income,  but  the  Lord 
has  the  first  claim.  And  it  is  a reasonable  claim. 
It  is  strange  we  should  ever  have  thought  of  it 
in  any  other  light.  When  we  ride  on  the  street 
car  there  is  something  due.  When  we  live  in 
a house  the  rent  is  due.  Wherever  we  own 
property  the  taxes  are  due.  And  we  cannot 
live  honorable  lives  if  we  avoid  these  obligations. 
Do  we  owe  God  nothing  for  all  the  advantages 
of  his  grace  and  care?  Let  the  man  who  is 
willing  to  answer  that  question  in  the  nega- 
tive go  to  live  in  the  land  where  the  law  of  God  is 
not  known  and  where  the  blessings  of  the  gos- 
pel have  never  been  felt.  The  plain  fact  of  the 
matter  is  that  for  us  to  withhold  from  God  that 
which  is  due  him  is  robbery  in  the  twentieth 

*1  quote  here  from  “The  Business  Aspect  of  Christian 
Stewardship,”  by  L.  B.  Hartman,  D.  £>.,  which  I take 
pleasure  in  commending.  I wish  every  Christian  in  the 
land  would  read  it — certainly  no  pastor  can  afford  to 
overlook  such  a helpful  presentation  of  this  subject. 
It  is  published  in  cloth  for  25  cents  and  in  paper  cover 
at  10  cents. 


century  after  Christ  just  as  certainly  as  it  was 
in  the  fourth  century  before  him.  There  is  just 
this  difference,  however.  For  us  Christian  peo- 
ple to  be  talking  about  giving  to  the  Lord  “un- 
der grace’’  rather  than  “under  law,”  and  that 
under  far  more  prosperous  times  and  with  a 
Christ  to  worship  and  love  who  is  incomparably 
greater  than  the  Jews  had,  for  us  to  give  the 
mere  pittance  we  do — far  less  than  the  Jews’ 
tenth — is  nothing  short  of  hypocrisy  under  the 
cloak  of  Christianity.  We  may  not  like  to  face 
such  a charge  but  we  surely  have  not  the  aud- 
acity to  talk  about  being  prompted  by  love  when 
we  are  withholding  from  God  the  tithe  which 
both  law  and  love  have  a right  to  claim.  One 
of  the  most  tender  and  touching  incidents  re- 
corded in  the  Bible  is  the  story  of  Abraham  of- 
fering up  his  son  Isaac  as  a burnt  offering  to 
the  Lord.  We  have  here  such  a high  concep- 
tion of  the  Lord’s  claim  upon  his  servant  Abra- 
ham that  many  are  free  with  their  criticisms  and 
say,  “The  Lord  had  no  right  to  make  such  a de- 
mand of  Abraham.”  Did  he  not?  Abraham 
did  not  complain  and  why  should  we?  Faith  in 
God  meant  everything  to  Abraham.  He  was 
willing  to  give  God  whatever  was  required  of 
him.  And  Abraham  “took  the  knife  to  slay  his 
son.  And  the  angel  of  the  Lord  called  unto 
him  out  of  heaven,  and  said,  Abraham,  Abra- 
ham; and  he  said,  Here  am  I.  And  he  said,. 
Lay  not  thine  hand  upon  the  lad,  neither  do= 
thou  anvthing  unto  him:  FOR  NOW  I KNOW 
THAT ‘THOU  FEAREST  GOD,  SEEING 
THOU  HAST  NOT  WITHHELD  THY 
SON,  THY  ONLY  SON  FROM  ME.”  The 
time  has  come  when  God  wants  the  proof  from 
his  church  that  we  love  him.  “Bring  ye  all  the 
tithes  into  the  storehouse,  and  prove  me  now 
herewith,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  if  I will  not 
open  you  the  windows  of  heaven  and  pour  you 
out  a blessing  that  there  shall  not  be  room 
enough  to  receive  it.” 

The  blessing  of  God  is  being  withheld  from 
many  individuals  and  from  many  churches  to- 
day because  of  the  shameful  manner  in  which 
we  are  treating  the  Lord  in  financial  affairs. 
We  have  lost  respect  for  ourselves  and  the 
world  has  lost  confidence  in  the  church.  How 
could  it  be  otherwise  when  we  do  not  recognize 
our  debt  to  the  Lord  and  treat  his  cause  the 
same  as  we  do  that  of  the  common  beggar  upon 
the  street?  We  apologize  and  entreat  for  money 
to  carry  on  the  Lord’s  work  as  if  we  were  afraid 


we  would  hurt  some  one’s  feelings  if  we  pressed 
the  matter  too  much.  What  right  have  we  as 
stewards  of  God  to  treat  his  cause  in  such  a 
half-hearted  and  shameful  manner?  Thomas 
Kane  was  correct  when  he  said,  “I  do  not  be- 
lieve that  ministers  have  any  right  to  permit  any 
man  to  think  that  he  is  a Christian  or  safe  for 
heaven  if  his  so-called  religion  finds  expression 
only  in  talking  and  praying.  Neither  have  they 
any  right  to  refrain  from  warning  all  such  pro- 
fessing Christians  that  the  so-called  giving  at 
the  rate  of  two  or  three  cents  a month  to  the 
causes  nearest  to  Christ’s  heart,  home  and  for- 
eign missions,  is  either  conscious  or  unconscious 
hypocrisy.”  When  Mr.  Kane  penned  these 
words  he  was  not  far  from  the  thought  of  the 
Master  who  said,  “If,  therefore,  ye  have  not 
been  faithful  in  the  unrighteous  mammon,  who 
will  commit  to  your  trust  the  true  riches?  And 
if  ye  have  not  been  faithful  in  that  which  is 
another  man’s  who  shall  give  you  that  which  is 
your  own?”  (Luke  16:11-12.)  “And  all  the 
tithe  of  the  land,  whether  of  the  seed  of  the  land 
or  of  the  fruit  of  the  tree,  is  the  Lord’s ; IT 
IS  HOLY  UNTO  THE  LORD.”  (Lev.  27: 
30). 

What,  then,  about  love,  if  giving  unto  the 
Lord  is  a matter  of  Law?  Has  love  no  place? 
Certainly  it  has.  But  its  place  is  not  to  fall  be- 
low the  law.  It  is  never  the  desire  or  place  of 
love  to  repeal  the  law  but  to  obey  it,  and  that 
in  the  proper  spirit.  Love  furnishes  the  only 
true  motive  for  obedience.  “The  love  of  Christ 
constraineth  us.”  (II  Cor.  5:14).  The  Mas- 
ter said : “Think  not  that  I am  come  to  destroy 
the  law,  or  the  prophets.  I am  not  come  to  de- 
stroy, but  to  fulfill.”  (Matt.  5:17).  Love 
changes  and  purifies  the  motive  but  never  seeks 
freedom  from  the  obligation.  It  can  never  be 
the  spirit  of  love  which  prompts  a child  of  God 
to  seek  to  be  free  from  the  obligations  of  the 
tithe,  in  the  face  of  the  crying  needs  of  the  King- 
dom of  God  in  the  world.  One  who  tries  to 
claim  that  we  are  no  longer  under  obligation  to 
keep  the  laws  of  God  shows  that  he  does  not 
understand  the  first  principles  of  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.  God’s  laws  are  not  arbitrary,  sense- 
less fiats  of  his  will.  They  are  all  given  to  meet 
some  definite  demand  in  the  life  and  progress 
of  humanity.  And  none  of  Cod's  laws  can  be 
violated  without  untold  disaster  coming  upon 
the  race.  History  has  proved  this  statement 
again  and  again  as  seen  in  the  ruin  of  the  na- 


tions  that  have  disregarded  God’s  law  concern- 
ing the  Sabbath  day.  And  were  it  not  that  we 
are  so  bent  on  keeping  our  money  at  any  cost 
we  would  never  offer  such  a senseless  excuse  to 
the  Lord  for  disobeying  the  law  and  falling  so 
far  short  of  our  duty,  as  we  do  when  we  say, 
"we  are  not  living  under  law  but  under  grace.” 
‘‘What  shall  we  say  then?  Shall  we  continue 
in  sin  that  grace  may  abound?  God  forbid. 
How  shall  we,  that  are  dead  to  sin,  live  any 
longer  therein?”  (Rom.  6:1-2). 

We  recognize  this  principle  readily  enough  in 
other  matters.  Here  is  a man  who  has  been  a 
drunkard.  He  is  converted  and  joins  our  church. 
He  is  under  grace.  But  because  he  is  under 
grace  do  we  say  he  is  free  to  do  as  he  pleases? 
No,  when  he  gets  drunk  again  and  again  and 
the  church  and  its  pleadings  all  are  spurned  by 
him,  no  one  says,  “Let  him  alone,  he  is  no 
longer  under  law  but  under  grace,  and  he  has 
a right  to  do  as  he  pleases.”  On  the  contrary 
the  church  concludes  he  has  never  had  a change 
of  heart  and  withdraws  the  hand  of  fellowship 
from  him.  What  an  absurd  and  senseless  ex- 
cuse this  is  for  our  robbing  God  and  withhold- 
ing from  his  treasury  the  funds  that  belong  to 
him  for  the  work  of  his  kingdom,  with  the  at- 
tempt to  justify  ourselves  for  it  by  saying  we 
are  “living  under  grace.”  Let  us  call  things 
by  their  right  name,  for  we  are  dealing  with 
tbe  Lord  and  not  man.  And  he  whom  we  wor- 
ship as  King  and  Savior  deserves  better  treat- 
ment at  our  hands.  Let  us  admit  freely  that 
we  are  under  the  domination  of  self  when  we 
fall  below  the  requirements  of  the  law  of  God 
concerning  the  tithe. 

When  a man  marries  a woman  whom  he  loves 
and  who  loves  him,  are  they  freed  from  the 
law  ? The  most  pernicious  teachings  of  the 
world,  that  curse  society  and  damn  the  home  as 
an  institution — the  home  that  God  has  made  so 
sacred — are  the  teachings  of  those  who  claim 
that  law  is  superceded  and  free  love  regulates 
the  marriage  relationship.  I care  not  how  much 
a man  loves  his  wife,  he  can  never  love  her 
enough  to  free  himself  from  the  obligations  of 
law.  And  God  pity  the  woman  who  has  a man 
for  a husband  who  says,  “Wife,  my  love  for 
you  is  so  pure  that  I am  free  from  the  law  and 
hence  am  at  liberty  to  treat  you  just  according 
to  the  fancies  of  my  own  sweet  will.  If  I want 
to  spend  my  money  at  the  saloon  and  let  you 
and  the  children  do  for  yourselves,  you  must 


excuse  me,  for  I love  you  so.”  It  is  a travesty 
upon  love.  And  so  is  the  miserable,  stingy,  self- 
centered  treatment  the  church  of  Christ  is  giv- 
ing to  the  Lord  of  Hosts  to  whom  belongs  the 
tithe;  for  remember,  ”IT  IS  HOLY  UNTO 
THE  LORD.” 

“If  any  man  provide  not  for  his  own,  and 
specially  for  those  of  his  own  house,  he  hath 
denied  the  faith,  and  is  worse  than  an  infidel.” 
(I  Tim.  5:8).  But  how  about  the  man  who  is 
generous  enough  in  providing  for  his  family 
and  their  needs,  but  is  stingy  in  providing  for 
the  household  of  faith  to  which  he  belongs? 

All  the  talking  we  may  do  about  “living  under 
grace”  so  long  as  we  continue  in  our  unholy  dis- 
obedience to  the  law  of  God  is  beneath  our  man- 
hood and  womanhood  as  children  of  God  and  is 
nothing  short  of  an  insult  to  the  Lord  whom 
we  profess  to  love.  The  Son  of  God  who  gave 
his  life  for  us  said:  “If  ye  love  me,  keep  my 

commandments.  Greater  love  hath  no  man  than 
this,  that  a man  lay  down  his  life  for  his  friends. 
Ye  are  my  friends  if  ye  do  whatsoever  I com- 
mand you.”  It  is  a great  deal  easier  for  many  to 
talk  about  laying  down  their  lives  than  it  is  to 
“Bring  all  the  tithes  into  the  storehouse.” 

Doubtless  some  will  think  this  is  plain,  blunt 
speaking.  It  is,  and  was  so  intended.  But  the 
spirit  prompting  the  writer  was  not  fear  lest 
some  one  who  was  not  doing  his  duty  should  be 
offended  but  rather  lest  in  putting  these  truths 
in  too  mild  a fashion  the  rightful  claims  of  God 
upon  us  would  not  be  recognized.  The  attempt 
is  an  utter  failure  if  the  conscience  of  the  read- 
er has  not  been  stirred  and  some  definite  im- 
pression left  upon  his  mind  that  this  message 
has  been  given  with  the  conviction  of  “Thus 
saith  the  Lord.”  Let  us  recognize  that  we  who 
love  the  Lord  owe  him  something.  He  who 
makes  his  claim  upon  us  is  worthy.  His 
cause  is  in  need  of  the  tithe  of  his  church  to- 
day. What  a glorious  work  of  grace  would  fol- 
low if  the  tithe  were  brought  into  the  store- 
house of  our  Lord  in  these  days ! Surely  our 
love  is  not  a matter  of  mere  sentiment  and  idle 
talk.  Love’s  proof  will  be  evident  when  love 
pays  her  debt  to  God. 


Anticipated  Questions  Answered 


1.  Does  not  the  Bible  teach  that  all  that  we  have 
belongs  to  God?  Yes,  but  not  in  the  sense  in  which 
the  tithe  belongs  to  him.  We  have  avoided  this  ques- 
tion in  the  previous  discussion  because  there  is  need 
of  a definite  message  which  will  stir  the  church  to  see 
her  duty  regarding  the  tithe.  Many  are  free  to  admit 
that  “all  belongs  to  God”  and  keep  it  for  themselves. 
Whereas,  the  man  who  withholds  the  tithe,  withholds 
that  which  is  not  his  but,  “IS  HOLY  UNTO  THE 
LORD.” 

2.  If  the  Jews  gave  a tenth  under  the  old  dispen- 
sation, ought  we  not  to  give  more?  Yes,  and  so  did 
the  Jews,  who  never  reckoned  their  alms-giving  as  a 
part  of  their  tithe.  Yet  it  was  considered  a sacred 
duty  for  the  Jews  to  give  alms.  Their  alms-giving 
never  came  out  of  the  Lord’s  one-tenth  but  from  their 
own  nine-tenths.  There  is  unquestionably  a danger  in 
some  cases,  as  of  old,  of  people  bragging  that  they 
“give  tithes  of  all  they  possess.”  Experience  has 
taught  me,  however,  that  the  great  majority  of  those 
who  once  begin  to  tithe  do  not  stop  there.  In  the  ma- 
jority of  cases  tithing  is  started  as  an  act  of  consecra- 
tion to  the  Lord  and  is  accompanied  with  a real  spirit- 
ual blessing  such  as  God  has  promised.  Hence  as  a 
rule  it  becomes,  in  the  life  of  the  tither,  the  starting 
point  and  not  the  end  of  liberality  toward  the  Lord’s 
treasury.  For  this  reason  we  cannot  afford,  for  the 
sake  of  setting  forth  the  definite  claims  of  God,  to 
allow  ourselves  to  get  too  many  side  issues  in  the  way. 
For  the  one  man  who  stops  at  tithing  to-day  there  are 
at  least  a thousand  who  have  never  begun  it.  Let  us 
direct  our  message  for  a time  to  the  thousand  and  not 
defeat  the  whole  message  by  setting  up  the  one  man. 
It  would  be  a happy  thing  in  the  minds  of  many  if  we 
should  succeed  in  sidetracking  the  main  issue  for  the 
sake  of  a few. 

3.  Is  it  not  true  that  rules  and  fixed  proportions 
check  liberality?  No,  it  is  entirely  false  to  make 
such  a claim.  Nothing  need  be  said  in  answer  to  this 
objection  more  than  to  cite  Old  Testament  liberality 
in  comparison  with  the  lack  of  revenue  in  the  church 
to-day.  It  did  not  check  liberality  in  the  early  days 
of  Christianity.  You  never  knew  of  a tithing  church 
closing  its  doors.  But  we  frequently  hear  of  churches 


unable  to  support  preaching  services  or  give  to  mis- 
sions that  would  be  wealthy  if  they  had  the  tithe  from 
their  members.  Are  we  to  conclude  that  the  Lord  is 
responsible  for  the  different  way  of  managing  churches 
in  these  modern  money-making  times,  and  that  it  is 
his  good  pleasure  that  these  churches  should  die  and 
the  Gospel  not  be  preached  in  thousands  of  communi- 
ties? If  it  is  the  Lord’s  fault,  he  is  a poor  financier 
for  one  who  claims^  “The  silver  is  mine,  and  the  gold 
is  mine.”  But  seeing  it  is  not  his  fault,  what  a dis- 
grace it  is  upon  his  church ! 

4.  Do  you  think  the  Lord  would  have  poor  people 
tithe  their  income?  Yes.  As  a matter  of  fact,  sta- 
tistics show  they  are  more  ready  to  do  it  than  the  rich. 
The  very  best  thing  that  could  happen  to  every  poor 
man’s  home  in  the  land  would  be  for  him  and  his 
whole  family  to  tithe  their  income.  This  is  how 
it  works.  A washer-woman  whose  husband  was  a 
heavy  drinker  began  to  tithe.  Husband  objected.  She 
replied,  “you  give  nine-tenths  to  the  saloon  and  surely 
I can  give  my  one-tenth  to  the  Lord.”  As  time  passed 
the  name  of  God  meant  more  than  ever  before  in  that 
home.  The  husband  was  converted  and  it  became  a 
Christian  home.  You  do  your  part  and  trust  in  the 
Lord  to  do  the  rest. 

5.  How  can  we  get  our  church  to  adopt  the  tithing 
system?  Ah,  that  is  a hard  question  to  answer.  The 
only  way  I know  to  bring  it  about  is  for  you  to  begin, 
and  in  a wise  and  earnest  manner  do  all  in  your  power 
to  help  others  see  their  duty.  We  cannot  force  the 
issue.  Love  must  lead  us  to  this  victory  for  the  Mas- 
ter. But  can  we  not  have  in  every  church,  in  YOUR 
church,  a growing  band  of  Christian  people  who  will 
begin  to  “Honor  the  Lord  with  their  substance,  and 
with  the  first-fruits  of  all  their  increase?”  The  writer 
knows  of  no  other  way  in  which  to  answer  the  ques- 
tion, “How  can  we  get  our  church  to  adopt  the  Scrip- 
tural plan  of  making  offerings  to  the  Lord?”  Those 
who  see  their  duty  and  are  constrained  by  love  to  do 
it  must  help  in  every  manner  possible  to  bring  others 
to  see  what  the  Lord  expects  of  his  people.  Pastors 
must  proclaim  the  doctrine  faithfully  from  the  pulpit. 
Laymen  must  talk  it  in  the  prayer  meeting,  the  Sunday 
school  and  among  their  friends.  In  many  cases  it  will 
be  necessary  for  laymen  to  urge  the  pastor  to  preach 
on  this  sadly  neglected  subject.  May  we  not  as  pas- 
tors and  laymen  unite  in  asking  that  in  all  our  denom- 
inational gatherings,  our  associational  meetings,  our 
young  people’s  rallies,  our  state  and  national  conven- 
tions, more  time  and  prominence  be  given  to  the  con- 
sideration of  God's  rightful  claim  upon  that  part  of 
our  income  which,  “IS  HOLY  UNTO  THE  LORD?” 


